Second Chances

I'm a dreamer and I so want to share my life story of how I came to meet my sweet Savior. I have been given encouragement from my Sunday School class over the years as I taught Sunday School life lessons....but now....I am dreaming of attending a conference my blogging buddy, Deb at He Gave Me A Dream told me about called, She Speaks! She Speaks is a funny title for a conference...but it is exactly what I want to do...I want to speak, write, minister. I have some big shoes I want to fill. Deb told me that this is the creme de la creme of Christian writing conferences. She said it was "a gathering of talented writers and speakers and renowned editors and publishers. And a great place for writers at all levels to gain both knowledge and confidence in the writing/publishing process." I was so excited. I told her, YES! I want to go....but then reality hit. My husband lost his job before Thanksgiving...Christmas was tough...he did get a new job...but the pay was significantly less than we were used to...and when Deb told me how much this conference cost....I was embarassed but had to tell her I could not go. Imagine my surprise when she posted this scholarship information. There is hope yet...maybe God did NOT entirely close this door for me. I found myself a woman on a mission again. I could hardly wait to sit down and blog. Lysa Terkeurst, founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries, is offering a few scholarships for bloggers who want to attend this year's conference. These scholarships are valued at $575.00 each! Right now...to me that is like a million dollars. Wow! The link to her post that explains how to apply for one of these scholarships will be at the bottom of this post.
The conference, She Speaks offers something for everybody: writers, speakers, and those who are in women's ministry. Umm....that would be me. I am a writer, a speaker, and I am a United Methodist Certified Lay Speaker...meaning I fill the pulpit from time to time...and love it. But, my real dream is to write. Through the writing I figure the rest will come. So, I like Deb, am most interested in the writer's track. All of the session descriptions for each of the three tracks sound wonderful, but I'm very very interested in the following classes: "From Blog to Book Deal" - That is the one for me! Oh yes! I feel the title says it all. And my personal second favorite is "Magazine Writing 101" - I entered a Guidepost contest as a teenager...did not win...but I have always wondered how it would feel to have an article published in a magazine. I have been published in some obscure poetry journals, and I have been in a Blue Mtn. Arts book, but poetry is not where I feel I am being called. I want to write a book....and my third session choice is where Lysa tells you "The Power of a Story." I am shaking with delight at the possiblity that I may actually get to attend this conference...and learn! I have a title for my book...it is called, "Have I Got a Story for You." I have pages of writings....I just don't know what to do with them to make them come together....and that may be what I need to learn at the She Speaks Conference I have to quote Deb and say, "Can you tell that this is going to be one-rocking-Concord, North Carolina-startin' a fire for Him-July 30th - August 1st conference? Such a gathering of women with words. women with strong, powerful words. I want to be part of that with all my heart! Here's the scholarship link that I promised. What? You are still sitting here? I thought you would be gone already. wish me luck on getting one of those scholarships. I can hardly breathe I am so excited. Writing...and Writing about and for Him. It does not get much better than this!